OJR: The Online Journalism Review

Radio: stepping stone or tombstone?

Is it wise to spend time working for a radio station as a young journalist with a passion for writing? Does work away from a print publication make it harder to return after working on a different news medium?

Submitted by Chet McMaster

Posted: 2007-03-01

My headline is a bit of a dramatic dichotomy, but my inquiry is sincere; if I take time to do newsradio work after graduation, am I going to make an eventual transition back into print journalism harder on myself?

I'm young and writing is my raison d'etre. As such, I would like to land a reporting job at a daily metro paper some time in the next five years. However, I'd like to work with as many broadcasters and publishers as I can in order to keep a future transition from one medium to another a viable option down the road, especially in today's convergent news environemnt.

With that in mind, is taking up a 6 month internship at NPR's newsdesk (that may turn into a full-time job) more likely to broaden my options for future endeavors after a year or two of work - esp. in regards to print journalism - or would it probably only make me a more lucrative hire for radio stations? I enjoy NPR a lot and the idea of working there is very appealing, but part of me is afraid I may be dedicating my prime years to the most stagnant of the news mediums.

Responses:

From judy muller on March 1, 2007 at 4:27 PM

Chet,
Perhaps I can help you with this dilemma. First, get over the idea that radio is "stagnant" -- public radio is BOOMING...increasing its audience enormously over the last decade. That's why NPR and other public radio outlets have actually been HIRING and not firing. If you're looking for a stagnant medium, think newspapers.
I know a number of passionate young radio reporters here at the Annenberg School who would die for the opportunity to work on the NPR newsdesk for 6 months. If you don't want it, let us know! But I hope you see what a tremendous opportunity this is.
Plenty of people start out in radio and go on to other media. But lately, the flow has been in the other direction!
Good luck with your decision.
Judy Muller
Assoc. Prof. of Journalism, USC

From Robert Niles on March 2, 2007 at 2:52 PM

I loved my one summer working as an intern in commercial news radio. In fact, I believe that it better prepared me for working in online news than anything I did in print media. (This was in the pre-Web era, to clarify.)

Go for it. Work in as many different media as you can. Get that multimedia experience.

But, more importantly, take every opportunity you encounter to work with great journalists -- regardless of the medium in which they work. Greatness is its own, unique quality. And students do well to expose themselves to it. Work with great people, work in a variety of experiences, and success will find its way to you eventually.